California Redefines “Assault Weapon,” Bans Them

The Scientific Theory holds that you fit the theory to the facts. It’s applied backwards in the world of gun control: you modify or omit the facts to fit the theory. Case in point: California recently redefined what it thinks an an assault weapon is and then banned their definition:

New sales of semi-automatic rifles with removable magazines would be banned in California under a bill passed by the Democratic-led state legislature on Tuesday, and those who already own such weapons would have to register them.

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It would classify an assault weapon as any rifle that accepts a detachable magazine that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, and would ban its sale or purchase. People who already own such weapons would be required to register them.

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California, which has some of the toughest gun control laws in the nation, already bans rifles with large-capacity fixed magazines, which cannot be removed. This bill would expand that ban to add rifles that accept large-capacity removable magazines.

CA says nothing about semi-automatic pistols, like the kind used in the Virginia Tech massacre (a Glock 19 and a 22 caliber Walther P22). Semi auto rifles are not OK, semi auto handguns are OK, even though they are used in the vast majority of crimes committed by perps illegally using firearms. (They’re also the top choice for self defense, too, but media never wants to talk about those statistics.)